Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin. Approximately 13 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with some form of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes results from the body's failure to produce insulin. Type 2 diabetes results from insulin resistance in which the body fails to properly use insulin. In order to effectively manage the disease, diabetics must closely monitor and manage their blood glucose levels through exercise, diet and medications. In particular, both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics rely on insulin delivery and blood glucose monitoring to control their diabetes.
External infusion devices have been used to deliver medication to a patient as generally described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,554,798 and 6,551,276, which are specifically incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. In addition to delivering medication to a patient, other medical devices have been used to determine body characteristics by obtaining a sample of bodily fluid. A variety of implantable electrochemical sensors have been developed for detecting and/or quantifying specific agents or compositions in a patient's blood. For instance, glucose sensors have been developed for use in obtaining an indication of blood glucose levels in a diabetic patient. Such readings can be especially useful in monitoring and/or adjusting a treatment regimen that typically includes the regular administration of insulin to the patient. Thus, blood glucose readings are particularly useful in improving medical therapies with semi-automated medication infusion pumps of the external type and/or implantable type.
Monitoring blood glucose levels plays an integral role in the management and control of diabetes. Finger stick measurements, glucose sensors, and monitors have traditionally been used to check the blood glucose levels of diabetic patients. In recent years, continuous glucose monitoring systems have been developed utilizing the latest sensor technologies incorporating both implantable and external sensors as generally described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,391,250 entitled, “Method of Fabricating Thin Film Sensors”, U.S. Pat. No. 6,484,046 entitled, “Electrochemical Analyte Sensor”, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,390,671, 5,568,806 and 5,586,553, entitled, “Transcutaneous Sensor Insertion Set”, all of which are specifically incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. Newer systems deliver the preciseness of finger stick measurements coupled with the convenience of not having to repeatedly prick the skin to obtain glucose measurements. These newer systems provide the equivalent of over 200 finger stick readings per day. Additionally, continuous glucose monitoring systems allow physicians and patients to monitor blood glucose trends of their body and suggest and deliver insulin based on each patient's particular needs. Accordingly, physicians and medical device companies are always searching for more convenient ways to keep diabetic patients aware of their blood glucose levels throughout the day.